What causes puffy eyes?
RELATED: The 15 Best Eye Creams Dermatologists Actually Swear By Applying something cold will also help, says Dr. Brazzo. “Usually the cold will shrink them for a few hours—when skin is cold, it’s tighter, and this holds [the puffiness] back,” he explains. You could use a cold compress or slices of cucumber, applied for five to 15 minutes. Topically, there’s not much else that reliably works, says Dr. Brazzo. “Some people like an OTC serum called Plexaderm every now and then,” he says. He does warn that Plexaderm is a plaster-like substance that can feel sticky, heavy, and tacky on skin when applied. He has had patients who have asked about other OTC substances, like caffeine serums and even Preparation H (a hemorrhoid treatment), but he doesn’t believe either of these options deliver results. In more persistent cases of puffy eyes, the fix may need to be more permanent—but this will ultimately come down to personal choice. “If you have the puffs and don’t like them, almost always, the most effective treatment is surgery,” says Dr. Brazzo. “The skin goes flat again and [the bags] almost never come back.” The procedure is called lower eyelid blepharoplasty, and it is an outpatient procedure where a surgeon will remove the lower eyelid fat in small pieces. While surgery is a big commitment, it is effective and has minimal healing and downtime—Dr. Brazzo says you can drive home from the procedure, and may have a week or two of bruising. Puffy eyes may be an inevitable part of aging for some people, but by taking care of your skin—and yourself—you can help to minimize them.
